Pictured: The 'cut-and-shut' cruise ship that was sliced in half to add more rooms

It sounds like an unforgettable magic trick - sawing a cruise ship in half.

But this is no illusion, as the owners of this 916ft liner really did cut it open to extend its length by 73ft.

Such measures may seem extreme, but the £30million cost of the job is just a fraction of the £500million - and years of labour - needed to launch a new ship.

This remarkable extension to the giant cruise liner, called the Enchantment of the Seas, provided 151 more cabins.

The overhaul also added new facilities, such as suspension bridges over the pool deck, as well as trampolines and a 108-seater restaurant.

As the cruiser is 12 decks deep, construction crews had to work around the clock for six days to divide it in half.

They used blow torches and circular saws, and even cut a swimming pool in two along the way.

The painstaking process took place in a dry dock at the Keppel Verolme shipyard in Rotterdam, Holland.

There, the new 12-deck high, 3,000-ton mid-section was carefully moved into place with hydraulic jacks and 18-wheel lorries, using lasers to keep things exact.

The new piece of the ship was then welded securely into position - with 1,300 individual cables, pipes and ducts having to be reconnected.

Within six weeks, the Enchantment of the Seas was back in service again. It is currently in the western Caribbean after setting sail from Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

And the extra capacity - which came on top of the 3,000 passengers and crew it could previously hold - is certainly needed.

Cruise holidays are becoming increasingly popular in Britain, and across the Western world.

Not only that, but a younger generation of sailors are increasingly jostling for cabin space with the pensioners who have traditionally filled such ships.

The attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001 and subsequent terrorism threats have made holidaying at sea increasingly attractive to those who are afraid to fly.

A spokesman for Royal Caribbean, which owns the ship, said: 'We've committed ourselves to providing innovative, exciting and unexpected experiences for our guests.

'We are willing to stretch ourselves and our ships - literally - to fulfil that promise.'

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Categories

Amazing (83) Humor (47) weird (44) Interesting (43) cool (40) Incredible (34) beautiful (26) Animal (20) World News (19) wonderful (18) Dogs (15) Crazy Stuff (13) Nasa (11) believe it or not (11) Strange (10) Bizarre (9) Science (9) unusual (9) Amazing Fact (8) Artwork (8) awesome (8) Baby (7) Interesting fact (6) Ugliest Dog (6) World (6) Amazing Animals (5) Amazingly (5) Cat (5) Pets and Animal (5) Woman (5) Daredevil (4) Games (4) Horse (4) Man (4) Monster (4) Pregnant man (4) Technology (4) fattest man (4) space (4) Amazing photo (3) Britney Spears (3) Car (3) Cow (3) Dolphins (3) Fat (3) Fishing (3) Health and Fitness (3) Miscellenous (3) Monkey (3) Oldest (3) Shark (3) record breaking (3) sea (3) spider (3) wedding (3) woman's skill (3) Aeroplane (2) Aliens (2) Amy Winehouse (2) Angelina Jolie (2) Beer (2) Black Scorpion (2) Breakthrough Thinking (2) Britney (2) Cancer (2) Children (2) Chinese (2) Cigarette (2) Classic Cars (2) Current Events (2) Design (2) Dung Beetles (2) Eiffel Tower (2) Electric guitar (2) Elephant (2) Exotic fish (2) Expensive (2) Extraordinary (2) Faces (2) Family (2) Fashion (2) Fat Boy (2) Fergie (2) Food (2) Giant (2) Grand Father (2) Guinness Book (2) Guinness World Records (2) Halloween (2) Historical Perspectives (2) Hot Issues (2) Human Tiger (2) Human being (2) Koala bear (2) Latest News (2) Latest Trend (2) Leg (2) Life on Mars (2) Married (2) Medical (2) Medical Breakthrough (2) Mother (2) Motor Vehicle (2) Nature (2) Nature errors (2) New Discoveries (2) New Discovery (2) New Drug (2) Olympic (2) People Making a Difference (2) Photo Perspectives (2) Robot (2) Rubbish (2) Scientist (2) Sheep (2) Snake-girl (2) Sound (2) Stunts (2) Tattoos (2) Technology News (2) Telephone (2) Travelling (2) Tree (2) UFO (2) Venus (2) Wild Animal (2) X-ray (2) Zoo (2) biggest horse (2) face (2) jewellery (2) mystery man (2) photographer (2) plane (2) pumpkin (2) puppies (2) satellites (2) sexy (2) species (2) swimming pool (2) volcano (2) whale (2) 14 spoons (1) 400m plunge (1) Agriculture (1) Airlines (1) Albert Einstein (1) Albino Animals (1) Alcohol (1) Alesha Dixon (1) Alizee Poulicek (1) Amazing landmark (1) Amazing pictures (1) American dream (1) Amputee (1) Ancient city (1) Andes (1) Anti-terror (1) Antibiotics (1) Apples (1) Architecture (1) BBC (1) BMW (1) Baldy (1) Balloons (1) Bangkok (1) Beaten (1) Bicycles (1) Big Problems (1) Big Shotz (1) BigDog (1) Biofuels (1) Bionic leg (1) Bizarre Fashion (1) Black magic (1) Body builder (1) Bound (1) Brad and Angelina (1) Bread (1) Brick Art (1) Britain (1) British Journalism (1) British sport (1) Brown Bears (1) Bubble-wrap (1) Bullet (1) Burmese python (1) C (1) Carrot (1) Cat Man (1) Celebrity (1) Chihuahua foetus (1) Chimps (1) Christina Aguilera (1) Circle (1) Circus (1) Climate (1) Cloud Formations (1) Council (1) Council workmen (1) Court (1) Crab (1) Credit (1) Credit crunched (1) Crispy Duck (1) Crows (1) Cruise ship (1) Cubans poach (1) Curvy Martine McCutcheon (1) Custom (1) Diabolical (1) Diamond (1) Diesel (1) Disclaimer (1) Dog Brain (1) Dog Liver (1) Dordogne River (1) Dresses (1) Driftwood sculpture (1) Dummy lenses (1) Dustbin (1) Eagle (1) Earthquake (1) Eggstrordinary (1) Electrochemistry (1) Elephants (1) Eminem’s (1) Entertainment (1) Explosive power (1) FOUR Ears (1) Faith (1) Famous (1) Fancy (1) Farmland (1) Fashion craze (1) Female Trainers (1) Fermented (1) Ferrari (1) Festival (1) Firefly (1) Fitness (1) Flintstones (1) Football (1) Footloose (1) Frankfurt (1) Frenzy (1) Fungus (1) Funny (1) Gang (1) Gannets (1) Gateway of India (1) Genetic mutation (1) Ghost (1) Giant Squid (1) Giant squash (1) Global warming (1) Gold Medal (1) Gold chain (1) Gorilla (1) Gost Lungs (1) Grand Canyon (1) Grandchildren (1) Graveyard (1) Great New Product (1) Green energy (1) Gymnastics (1) Haiti earthquake (1) Half-tonne (1) Handbrake (1) Helicopter (1) Hell (1) Hernia (1) Heron (1) Hi-tech (1) Highest Cities (1) Himalayas (1) Historic statue (1) Holy Quran (1) Hope (1) Horrific.vile (1) Horro (1) Horrors (1) Horse Stew (1) Hottest Chilli (1) House (1) Houses (1) Hunting (1) Ice Age (1) Icebergs (1) Icy pond (1) Illicit Use of Drugs (1) Incidents Involving Firearms (1) Insects (1) Iron (1) Italian (1) Japanese Monkey (1) Jennifer Aniston (1) Jennifer Anistonं (1) Jessica Alba (1) Jessica Simpson Nude (1) Jesus (1) Jetpack (1) Jolie (1) Jordan (1) Jules (1) Kim Cattrall (1) Kissing (1) Kiteboarder (1) Korea’s (1) Lake (1) Landmine.Injury (1) Largest Breast (1) Largest Giants (1) Lemon Shark (1) Lindsay Lohan (1) Lindsay Lohan lesbian (1) Little (1) Lorraine Kelly (1) Lounging lizards (1) Love-sick (1) MARZIPAN BABIES (1) MRSA (1) Malaysian tower (1) Manchester. (1) March (1) Mars (1) Meat (1) Metal (1) Microbial (1) Microlight (1) Montauk Monster (1) Mr Berlusconi (1) Mugger (1) Murphy and Edmonds (1) Mushrooms (1) Muslim (1) Muslim extremists (1) Mysterious (1) NOSE (1) Naan (1) Naked Superfood (1) National Park (1) Natural Breast (1) Neck (1) Necklace (1) Network (1) New Viewpoints (1) Next 9/11 (1) Nicole Kidman (1) Oar Fish (1) Obese (1) Octopus (1) Official stamp (1) Oldest mum (1) Optical illusion (1) Orphan deer (1) PLANT LIFE (1) Pakistan (1) Penguin (1) Pensioner (1) Peter Jaeckel (1) Physical Inactivity (1) Pilgrims (1) Politics (1) Pony (1) Poor Diet (1) Poorest Countries (1) Prime Minister (1) Pumpkins (1) Purdeys Drink (1) Quotes (1) Red Bull Cola (1) Red Peppers (1) Rice (1) Robodog (1) Rodeos (1) Royal park (1) Rubbish Art (1) Russian Art (1) Sales (1) Sandwich (1) Schoenbrunn (1) Science fan (1) Scientists (1) Sea Serpent (1) SeaHorse Skewers (1) Sealife (1) Security (1) Sharks (1) Shell (1) Shoal (1) Sick (1) Sign (1) Silk Worm (1) Sip (1) Skin Cancer (1) Skydivers (1) Slaughter (1) Smallest girl (1) Smallest man (1) Smashing news (1) Snow sculpture (1) South Rim (1) Sparked fury (1) Spectacular (1) Spider Rock (1) Spooktacular (1) Sport (1) Squatter Camp (1) St Pancras (1) Stars (1) Statue of Liberty (1) Stunning (1) Sugar (1) Surfer (1) Surgeons (1) Surrogate mother (1) TONNES (1) Teenager (1) Tennessee (1) Thailand (1) The Jungle (1) Thomas Beatie (1) Thorax (1) Tiny premature (1) Titanic (1) Tobacco (1) Toilets (1) Tomb Art (1) Top 10 Entertainmen (1) Tower Bridge (1) Toxic (1) Train suicide (1) Triangle (1) Triplets (1) Truck (1) Tumble (1) Turtle (1) Twin brothers (1) Ugliest cat (1) Unusual technique (1) Vegetables (1) Vehicles (1) Victoria Beckham (1) Victoria’s Defence (1) Victory Column (1) Vodafone (1) Washing Machine (1) Watched (1) Water-Ice (1) Weatherman (1) White House (1) World's oldest man (1) Wrestling (1) Zoos (1) abandoned places (1) aircraft (1) aquarium (1) beach (1) beaver (1) biggest egg (1) body weight (1) boobs (1) bronze statue (1) burglars (1) charmers (1) chase (1) chest (1) cocooned parasitic (1) corals (1) craziest stunts (1) crowded बार (1) cycling race (1) damaged Airport (1) dazzling (1) deep canyon (1) disco (1) discover (1) dragon millipede (1) dramatic Pictures (1) face plant (1) fall (1) foolishness (1) fox (1) gemstones (1) guitars (1) heavens (1) hedgehogs (1) hippo (1) history (1) huntsman spider (1) intaranet (1) jumpers (1) jupitar (1) kangaroo (1) kitten (1) landmarks (1) leaves (1) lens (1) life-saving (1) lights (1) lobster (1) lonely (1) longest legs (1) loudspeaker (1) memphis (1) monsters (1) motorcycle (1) new video (1) nine-year-old (1) ocean (1) oddball (1) open brain coral (1) pandas (1) parkour (1) peacock (1) phone (1) photografy (1) pilot (1) pirate dog (1) planet (1) pole (1) regardless (1) runway (1) sex scenes (1) sex war (1) sexy full-body (1) skeletons (1) skinsuit (1) sky black (1) slasher movie (1) sleep (1) smallest bird (1) smile (1) starlings (1) stone-ishing (1) stuntman (1) sunset (1) surfing (1) surreal (1) swimmer (1) swimsuits (1) telegraph (1) tentacles (1) tissue (1) traceurs (1) transgender (1) twins (1) vistas (1) washing line (1) wetsuit (1) white deer (1) world record (1) world's smallest bodybuilder (1)